Domestic flights to operate 18 hours per day

To manage the increasing pressure at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal Civil Aviation Authority has extended the flight time for domestic flights to 18 hours.

Director-General Engineer Pradip Adhikari informed that 18-hour flights will be operated at six regional airports in the Terai from Thursday keeping in mind the air traffic jam at the airport. Airports at Bhadrapur, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Simara, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, and Dhangadhi will now operate from 6 AM to 12 AM. NEA is confident that this will manage the existing flight pressure of Kathmandu Airport and provide relief to the tourism sector which is finally flourishing after the COVID-19 epidemic. 

"We are going to operate nighttime airports in the Terai till 12 o'clock at night. This will alleviate the suffering of the air passengers and also increase the economic activities of the country," said the Director-General. 

NEA is also preparing to operate 24-hour international flights at Tribhuvan International Airport and Gautam Buddha International Airport from May 16. "No international airport will be closed at night now. The Pokhara Regional International Airport will be open 24 hours a day after it comes into operation," he said. 

At present, passengers of domestic and international flights have to wait for four hours to get service at the international airport. The airport is having difficulty managing the high pressure of passengers. At present, a total of 420 daily flights are being operated at the airport. The official said, "If any new international ship tries to come, we will not be able to give a slot. We have to say we can't provide service. ”

The number of air passengers in Nepal is increasing by one million annually. According to NEA, international air passenger rates are increasing by 10 percent annually in the world including Nepal. Neighboring India and China, as well as countries in the Asia-Pacific region, have seen similar increases in air travel. Passengers have been suffering due to daily air traffic jams at Tribhuvan International Airport for hours due to increasing passenger pressure.

The Tribhuvan International Airport, which has an annual capacity of 9.2 million passengers, was served by 7.2 million passengers in 2018. The NEA understands that the increase in air transport is a great opportunity for the country's economy.